The Golden Lotus

Contents

1. The Brotherhood of Rascals

2. Pan Jinlian

3. The Old Procuress

4. Ximen Qing Attains His End

5. The Murder of Wu Da

6. The Funeral

7. Ximen Qing Meets Meng Yulou

8. The Magic Diagrams

9. Wu Song Seeks to Avenge his Brother

10. The Exiling of Wu Song

11. Li Guijie, the Singing Girl

12. Pan Jinlian Narrowly Escapes Disaster

13. Li Ping'er

14. The Cuckold

15. The Feast of Lanterns

16. Li Ping'er Is Betrothed

17. The Amorous Doctor

18. Ximen Qing Bribes Officers of the Court

19. Ximen Qing's Vengeance

20. The Reconciliation

21. Wu Yueniang Relents

22. Song Huilian

23. Ximen Qing's Dalliance with Song Huilian

24. The Ladies Celebrate the Feast of Lanterns

25. Laiwang's Jealousy

26. The Tragic End of Song Huilian

27. The Garden of Delights

28. The Two Shoes

29. The Fortune-Teller

30. The Birth of Guan'ge

31. Qintong Hides a Wine Pot

32. Li Guijie

33. Han Daoguo and His Wife

34. Ximen Qing Administers Justice

35. The Favorite

36. Ximen Qing Entertains the Laureate

37. Wang Liu'er

38. Pan Jinlian Is Melancholy

39. The Temple of the Jade Emperor

40. Wu Yueniang and the Nun

41. The Baby Guan'ge Is Betrothed

42. Ximen Qing Feasts in Lion Street

43. The Lost Bracelet

44. The Thief Is Discovered

45. Beggar Ying and Wu Yin'er

46. Daian in Trouble

47. The Villainy of Miao Qing

48. The Censor's Accusation

49. The Monk from India

50. The Indian Monk's Medicine

51. Pan Jinlian Makes Mischief

52. Ying Bojue Teases Li Guijie

53. Pan Jinlian Is Unfaithful

54. Ying Bojue Gives a Party

55. The Imperial Tutor

56. Chang Zhijie Buys a New House

57. Ximen Qing Becomes a Benefactor

58. Zheng Aiyue

59. The Death of Guan'ge

60. The Opening of the New Shop

61. Li Ping'er Falls Ill

62. The Death of the Sixth Lady

63. The Sixth Lady's Funeral

64. Shutong Runs Away

65. The Burial of Li Ping'er

66. The Solemn Sacrifice

67. Ximen Qing Dreams of Li Ping'er

68. The Party at Zheng Aiyue's House

69. Lady Lin

70. Ximen Qing Visits the Capital

71. The Son of Heaven

72. Pan Jinlian Quarrels with Ruyi'er

73. Qiuju in Trouble

74. Li Guijie Is Forgiven

75. Pan Jinlian Quarrels with Wu Yueniang

76. Master Wen Falls into Disgrace

77. Ximen Qing Visits Zheng Aiyue in the Snow

78. Pan Jinlian and Her Mother

79. The End of Ximen Qing

80. Li Jiao'er Goes Back to the Bawdy House

81. Han Daoguo Defrauds Wu Yueniang

82. Pan Jinlian Makes Love with Chen Jingji

83. Qiuju Spies on Pan Jinlian

84. Wu Yueniang's Pilgrimage

85. Chunmei Is Dismissed

86. Pan Jinlian Leaves the House of Ximen

87. Wu Song Avenges His Brother

88. Chunmei Mourns for Pan Jinlian

89. Wu Yueniang Meets Chunmei Again

90. Sun Xue'e's Elopement

91. Meng Yulou Marries Again

92. Meng Yulou Outwits Chen Jingji

93. Chen Jingji Becomes a Monk

94. Sun Xue'e Is Sold to a Brothel

95. Ping'an Meets His Deserts

96. Chunmei Revisits Her Old Home

97. Chunmei Finds a Wife for Chen Jingji

98. Wang Liu'er's Return

99. The Murder of Chen Jingji

100. The End of Ximen's House

List of Principal Characters

AN FENGSHAN, Inspector of the Board of Works; later Secretary of the Board of Waterways

BAI LAIGUANG, friend of Ximen and member of his brotherhood

THE BEANPOLE, wife of Laizhao and mother of Little Iron Rod

BEN THE FOURTH, manager of Ximen's business

BU ZHIDAO, friend of Ximen and member of his brotherhood

CAI, "Old Woman," a midwife

CAI JING, Imperial Tutor, Minister of the Palace of Chong Zheng; a protector of Ximen Qing

CJEM DING, servant of Chen Jingji

CHEN JINGJI, husband of Ximen's daughter Ximen Dajie

CHANG ZHIJIE, friend of Ximen and member of his brotherhood

CUI BEN, friend and employee of Ximen

CUI'ER (Kingfisher), maid to Sun Xue'e

DAIAN, Ximen's most trusted boy; later faithful servant of Wu Yueniang

FENG, "Old Woman," a go-between, doorkeeper to Li Ping'er when wife of Hua Zixu

FU, "Clerk," manager of Ximen's pharmaceutical shop

GAN CHUSHEN, manager of Ximen's silk shop

GE CUIPING (Hummingbird), wife of Chen Jingji in a marriage arranged by Chunmei

GUAN'GE, son of Ximen by Li Ping'er

HAN AIJIE (Wild Rose) or AIJIE, daughter of Han Daoguo and Wang Liu'er and concubine of Zhai

HAN DAOGUO, clerk to Ximen, husband of Wang Liu'er and father of Han Aijie

HE YONGSHOU (Captain He), neighbor of Ximen

HUATONG, boy of Ximen

HUA ZIXU, friend of Ximen and member of his brotherhood; the first husband of Li Ping'er

HUIXIANG (Cherry Blossom), wife of Laibao

KONG, "Old Woman," a procuress

LAIAN, boy of Ximen

LAIBAO, Tang Bao, servant of Ximen

LAIWANG, Zheng Wang, boy of Ximen; later lover of Sun Xue'e

LANXIANG (Fragrance), maid to Meng Yulou

LAIXING, Gan Laixing, boy of Ximen

LAIZHAO, Liu Zhao, servant of Ximen

LI GUIJIE (Cassia) or GUIJIE, a singing girl, niece of Ximen's Second Lady, sister of Li Guiqing

LI JIAO'ER (Picture of Grace), Ximen's Second Lady; later wife of Zhang the Second

LI MING, a young musician, brother of Li Guijie

LI PING'ER (Lady of the Vase), wife of Hua Zixu, later Sixth Lady of Ximen

LIN, LADY, a lady of quality, mother of Wang the Third and mistress of Ximen

LIU, "Old Woman," a procuress

MENG YULOU (Tower of Jade) or YULOU, Third Lady of Ximen; later, wife of Li Gongbi

PING'AN, boy of Ximen

PAN JINLIAN (Golden Lotus) or JINLIAN, originally a singing girl, later wife of Wu Da, and afterwards Fifth Lady of Ximen

PAN, "Old Woman," mother of Jinlian

PANG CHUNMEI (Plum Blossom) or CHUNMEI, maid to Wu Yueniang and later to Pan Jinlian; afterwards wife of Major Zhou

QITONG, boy of Ximen

QINTONG, boy of Meng Yulou; later lover of Pan Jinlian

QIUJU (Chrysanthemum), kitchen maid of Pan Jinlian

RUYI'ER (Heart's Delight), or Zhang the Fourth, nurse of Guan'ge

SHUTONG, Zhang Song, secretary to Ximen

SONG HUILIAN (Wistaria), wife of Laiwang and mistress of Ximen

SUN GUAZUI or SUN TIANHUA, or Crooked-headed Sun, associate of Ximen and member of his brotherhood

SUN XUE'E (Beauty of the Snow) or XUE'E, originally a maid in Ximen's household; afterwards Ximen's fourth wife; also known as the Kitchen Lady

WANG, a Buddhist nun

WANG, "Old Woman," a procuress

WANG CAI (Wang the Third), a young nobleman; son of Lady Lin

WANG JING, brother of Wang Liu'er, later servant of Ximen

WANG LIU'ER (Porphyry), wife of Han Daoguo and mistress of Ximen

WEN BIGU, a dissolute scholar, secretary of Ximen

WEN, "Old Woman," a procuress

WU, "THE IMMORTAL," a fortune-teller

WU, "Uncle," or Wu the Elder, brother of Wu Yueniang

WU DA, brother of Wu Song and first husband of Jinlian

WU DIAN'EN, friend of Ximen and member of his brotherhood

WU SONG, brother of Wu Da, and avenger of his murder

WU YIN'ER (Silver Maid), mistress of Hua Zixu, adopted as ward by Li Ping'er

WU YUENIANG (Moon Lady), or the Great Lady, Ximen's principal wife

WU ZONGJIA, abbot of the Temple of the Jade Emperor

XIA YANLING, a magistrate, friend of Ximen

XIAOGE, posthumous son of Ximen by Wu Yueniang

XIAOYU (Tiny Jade), maid of Wu Yueniang; later, wife of Daian

XIE XIDA, friend of Ximen and member of his brotherhood

XIMEN QING, the central figure of this book, the owner of a considerable estate at Qinghe, and later a magistrate

XIMEN DAJIE (Orchid), daughter of Ximen and wife of Chen Jingji

XIUCHUN (Hibiscus), maid to Li Ping'er and later to the Second Lady

XUE, a eunuch of the Imperial Household, friend of Ximen

XUE, "Old Woman," a procuress

YANG GUANGYAN, also Yang the Elder or Iron Fingernails, manager of one of Ximen's shops

YING BAO, eldest son of Ying Bojue

YING BOJUE, friend of Ximen and member of his brotherhood; known as Beggar Ying

YINGCHUN (Welcome Spring), maid of the Sixth Lady, later of Wu Yueniang

YING'ER (Jasmine), daughter of Wu Da by his first wife and step-daughter of Pan Jinlian

YUN LISHOU, friend of Ximen and member of his brotherhood

YUXIAO (Autumn), maid of Wu Yueniang.

ZHANGJIE, Qiao Zhangjie, infant daughter of Madam Qiao, betrothed to Guan'ge

ZHANG SHENG, servant of Major Zhou

ZHENG AIXIANG (Perfume) or AIXIANG, a singing girl, sister of Zheng Feng and Zheng Aiyue

ZHENG AIYUE (Moonbeam) or AIYUE, a singing girl

ZHENG FENG, a young actor

ZHINGQIU, maid of Wu Yueniang

ZHOU, Major, later General Zhou, neighbor of Ximen

ZHU SHINIAN, friend of Ximen and member of his brotherhood; called Pockmarked Zhu